Exercise Apparatus

ABSTRACT

Apparatus and a method for attachment to an exercise machine, generally in place of hand grips provided with the machine, to enable hands-free operation of the machine by a user, the apparatus having at least one forearm and/or upper arm adjacent the elbow engaging cup-like device, and means for attaching the engaging cup-like device to the exercise machine. The apparatus may have a pair of cup-like devices to enable the user to use the machine using both forearms and upper arm adjacent the elbows without use of the hands and lower arm portions of the user.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to exercise equipment, particularly to apparatus for use for hands-free exercise of several specific muscles, and particularly for use with lat pull-down exercise equipment for improved exercise of the lat muscle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Although exercise equipment is available for the user to exercise various muscles of the body, and also to exercise particular muscles, the available devices generally do not isolate a particular muscle while reducing the risk of unwanted exertion of other muscles. This is particularly the case with equipment presently used for exercising the lat muscle, i.e., the latissimus dorsi muscle. Use of known equipment for exercising the lat muscle, particularly by users who are seeking greater hypertrophy of the lat muscle, expend energy through the user's hands on the muscles which assist the lat muscle rather than concentrating the maximum amount of energy on exercising the lat muscle. Examples of such equipment, which utilize handles or handgrips by which the user operates the device are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,375, issued Jan. 28, 1997 to Roy Simonson and U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,630, issued Sep. 18, 2001 to Kevin O'Brien Boland. Use of such equipment for exercising the lat muscle is particularly difficult and often impossible for users, especially in rehabilitation situations, who are unable to use their hands.

Thus, there exists a need for an exercise device apparatus which facilitates the exercise of particular specific muscles, such as the lat muscle, while minimizing the exercise of muscles which assist the specific muscle, and which may be used without the use of the user's hands.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide apparatus for exercise equipment which allows the user to isolate specific muscles for exercise, particularly the lat muscle, during use of the equipment.

It is another object of the invention is to provide apparatus which permits hands-free exercise of specific muscles.

It is still another object of this invention to provide apparatus for use with existing exercise equipment which permits users to exercise specific muscles without the need for the user to grip a portion of the equipment without the user experiencing grip fatigue during use of the equipment.

It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus for exercising the lat muscle which requires more work to be performed by the lat muscle and less work to be performed by muscles assisting the lat muscle.

Still another object of this invention is to provide apparatus which permits the user to exercise the lat muscle in a position which is more conducive to the development of the lat muscle with less risk of overexertion of other assisting muscles.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.

In accordance with the present invention apparatus is provided which is adapted to permit the user to exercise specific muscles while reducing the amount of energy which would otherwise be expended in exercising muscles which assist in the exercise of the lat muscle. The apparatus is particularly useful in conjunction with existing exercising equipment, particularly lat pull-down exercise machines. The apparatus of the present invention generally comprises at least one cup-like device (hereafter “cuff”) cup-like device (hereafter “cuff”), cup-like device (hereafter “cuff”) which can engage a forearm portion and/or an upper arm portion of the user adjacent the elbow, suspended from or attached to an exercise machine generally in place of the hand grips of the machine. The apparatus of the present invention is particularly useful in conjunction with lat pull-down exercise machines. In addition to the usefullness of the apparatus of the present invention in exercising the lat muscles, the apparatus is useful with machines designed to be used to exercise muscles, such as the rhomboids major and minor, involved in rowing; the gluteal muscles; and the abdominal muscles such as through cable crunches. Preferably, the apparatus comprises a pair of cuffs preferably attached to the machine by a pair of straps and/or a pair of chains, each strap and chain assembly attaching one of the cuffs to the machine at a distance permitting the user to insert a forearm elbow and/or upper arm adjacent the elbow into one of the cuffs. In the case of a lat pull-down machine, the forearm elbow and upper arm adjacent the elbow is inserted into the cuff at an upward angle from the horizontal of the upper arm from the shoulder to the elbow. Also preferably, the straps and chain assemblies are adjustable in their length, preferably by shortening or lengthening the length of chain between the strap and the machine, to allow the user to sit upright.

The apparatus of the invention is attachable to existing lat pull-down machines in the same manner as presently existing bars with handles are attachable to the machines, most commonly by means of a clip. Unlike the existing handle arrangement supplied with machines, gripping handles are not required to work the machine through a range of motion intended by use of the machine, for example a lat muscle, and the user can sit upright and exercise without the need to lean forward or back to utilize the equipment. In this manner less strain on the back and neck occurs during use of the apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, partially fragmentary elevational view of apparatus in accordance with the present invention showing fragmentary portions of a user, diagrammatically shown in broken line, with the user's forearms and upper arms adjacent the elbows in the cuff portions of the apparatus and with alternate positions of the cuffs shown at the extremes of the range of motion during use of the apparatus in the preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus of FIGS. 1-2 taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIGS. 4-6 are graphical materials depicting how the apparatus of the present invention may be used with various exercise machines for exercising specific muscles.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, apparatus 10 comprises a pair of cuffs 12, 12 suspended by a pair of straps 14, 14 and chain 16, 16 from an exercise machine 18. Cuffs 12, 12 are generally U-shaped in cross-section and are configured to receive the user's elbows 20, 20 as shown in FIG. 1 in broken line.

The cuffs 12, 12 may be formed from two U-shaped straps connected together at opposing ends with one strap rotated 90 degrees with regard to the other strap. The use of two rotated straps allows the device 10 to engage the arms of the user on opposing sides of an apex of the elbow thereby increasing comfort.

Cuffs 12, 12 may be formed of resilient material, such as leather, vinyl, imitation leather, canvas, rubber or relatively soft and pliable plastic (polymeric) material to provide comfort to the user. If formed of polymeric material, cuffs 12, 12 may be molded as a single piece, or if fabric or leather may be formed of several pieces and stitched together, as shown.

Cuffs 12, 12 are each secured to a ring 22, 22 which in turn are secured to lower end portions of straps 14, 14, by stitching 24, 24. Rings 22, 22 are also preferably secured to cuffs 12, 12 by a band of strap material 26, 26 closely positioned on the underside of the cuff 12, 12 and stitched about ring 22, 22 by stitching 25, 25. Cuffs 12, 12 are further secured to rings 22, 22 by a short strip of material 28, 28 positioned about rings 22, 22 and stitched to cuffs 12, 12 by stitching 30, 30. In this manner, cuffs 12, 12 are supported by the strap and chain assemblies through rings 22, 22, so as to permit the cuffs to pivot as the user uses the exercise machine through the range of motion of the lat pull-down exercise.

As best shown in FIG. 1, straps 14, 14 are each secured at their upper end to a second ring 32, 32 by looping the strap about the ring and stitching the strap to itself by stitching 34, 34. Also secured to rings 32, 32 are chains 16, 16, preferably through clips 36, 36 (FIG. 3), such as carabineers, to permit removal of the cuffs and straps if desired. Chains 16 are secured to the exercise machine, for example represented by a ring 42, such as by means of a second set of clips 38, 38 connected to chains 16, 16 at their upper ends. Clips 38, 38 may be the same or similar to clips 36, 36. Clips 38, or their equivalent, may be provided with the exercise machine. It is understood that the upper ends of chains 16, 16 refer to the upper links 40, 40 of chains 16, 16 which are secured to clips 38, 38. Chains 16, 16 may include additional links (not shown) which may be secured to links 40, 40 and to clips 38, 38, but which extend from links 40, 40, and simply hang downwardly from links 40, 40 to permit the chains and hence the strap-chain assembly to be lengthened and shortened as desired.

In the use of the preferred embodiment of the present apparatus after the apparatus has been secured as described above to an existing exercise machine, such as a lat pull-down machine, the user may stand or sit upright, and place his or her forearms and upper arms adjacent the elbows in the cuffs 12, 12. The user then uses the forearms and upper arms in the cuffs 12, 12 to force the cuffs and straps 14 downwardly against the resisting force of the machine, and then upwardly and downwardly to exercise the user's lat muscle without using the user's hands. In this manner, the lat muscle has been isolated, and is exercised without using the hands or lower arms.

The use of the apparatus of the present invention is particularly advantageous for users requiring or seeking greater neurological recruitment or greater strength gains of the lat muscle, and will benefit users seeking greater hypertrophy of that muscle. The apparatus is also particularly beneficial to users who have suffered from loss of grip strength through health problems or injury.

In another embodiment, FIGS. 4-6 depict graphical materials that may be provided with apparatus 10 or affixed to the exercise machine to improve the benefit provided by the apparatus. FIG. 4 provides a specific graphical image and instructions that optimize the benefit of using device 10 for lat pull exercise. FIG. 5 depicts a graphical image and instruction that shows a user how to use the device 10 for crunch exercise. FIG. 6 provides a specific graphical image and instruction of how to use the device for rowing exercise.

While a particular embodiment of the apparatus of the invention has been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the invention in its broader aspects as defined by the following claims. 

1. Apparatus for attachment to an exercise machine to enable hands-free operation of the machine by a user, the apparatus comprising: a. at least one body portion engaging cup-like device; b. attachment means for attaching the body portion engaging cup-like device to the exercise machine, whereby a user having a body portion positioned within the cup-like device can exercise using the machine without use of the hands and lower arm portion of the user.
 2. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises a pair of body portion engaging cup-like devices and the attachment means is capable of attaching both of the pair of cup-like devices to the exercise machine, whereby a user having like body portions in the cup-like devices can exercise the machine without use of the hands and lower arm portions of the user.
 3. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the attachment means is at least one strap extending from the cup-like device to the exercise machine.
 4. The apparatus as in claim 2, wherein the attachment means is a pair of straps, each extending from one of the pair of cup-like devices to the exercise machine.
 5. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the attachment means is a combination comprising at least one strap, a chain and at least one connector therebetween.
 6. The apparatus as in claim 5, wherein the attachment means is a pair of combinations, each combination comprising at least one strap, a chain and at least one connector therebetween.
 7. The apparatus as in claim 6, wherein the length of each chain is adjustable, whereby the distance between the body portion-engaging cup-like devices and the machine can be adjusted to enable the user to stand or sit upright to minimize back and neck strain.
 8. The apparatus as in claim 1, wherein the body portion engaging cup-like device comprises a U-shaped elbow of non-rigid material to which is secured at least one connector attaching the attachment means to the device.
 9. The apparatus as in claim 8, wherein the at least one connector comprises a ring and wherein the apparatus includes a plurality of straps securing the ring to the cup-like device and the ring to the attachment means.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the apparatus comprises at least a pair of rings, each ring being secured to one side of the U-shaped elbow, and wherein the apparatus includes a plurality of straps securing the rings to the cup-like device and the rings to the attachment means.
 11. Apparatus for attachment to a lat pull-down exercise machine to enable hands-free operation of the machine by a user, the apparatus comprising: a. a pair of cup-like devices each adapted to engage at least one of a forearm, an upper arm and both a forearm and an upper arm adjacent the elbow of a user; b. attachment means for attaching the engaging cup-like devices to the exercise machine, whereby a user having at least one of the user's forearms and upper arm adjacent both elbows positioned within the cup-like devices can exercise the user's lat muscles using the machine without use of the hands and lower arm portions of the user.
 12. The apparatus as in claim 11, wherein the attachment means is capable of attaching both of the pair of cup-like devices to the exercise machine, whereby a user having both forearms and upper arms adjacent the elbows in the cup-like devices can exercise the machine without use of the hands and lower arm portions of the user.
 13. The apparatus as in claim 12, wherein the attachment means is a pair of straps, each extending from one of the pair of cup-like devices to the exercise machine.
 14. The apparatus as in claim 13, wherein the attachment means is a pair of combinations, each combination comprising at least one strap, a chain and at least one connector therebetween.
 15. The apparatus as in claim 14, wherein the length of each chain is adjustable, whereby the distance between the cup-like devices and the machine can be adjusted to enable the user to stand or sit upright to minimize back and neck strain while exercising the user's lat muscles.
 16. The apparatus as in claim 11, wherein the cup-like devices each comprises a U-shaped elbow of non-rigid material to which is secured at least one connector attaching the attachment means to the device.
 17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the apparatus comprises at least a pair of rings, each ring being secured to one side of the U-shaped elbow, and wherein the apparatus includes a plurality of straps securing the rings to the cup-like device and the rings to the attachment means.
 18. A method for the hands-free use of an exercise machine by a user, comprising: a. providing at least one cup-like device adapted to engage a body portion of a user; and b. adjustably attaching the cup-like device to the exercise machine, whereby a user positioning a body portion within the cup-like device can exercise using the machine without using the user's hands and lower arm portions.
 19. The method as in claim 18, comprising providing a pair of cup-like devices and adjustably attaching the pair of cup-like devices to the exercise machine, whereby a user can exercise using the machines without using the user's hands and lower arm portions.
 20. The method of claim 18, comprising providing a pair of cup-like devices adapted to engage at least one of a forearm, an upper arm and both a forearm and an upper arm adjacent the elbow of a user, and adjustably attaching the pair of cup-like devices to the exercise machine, whereby a user having at least one of the user's forearms and upper arms adjacent both elbows positioned within the cup-like devices can exercise the user's lat muscles using the machine without use of the hands and lower arm portions of the user. 